Choosing a Topic & Defining a Research Question

1. What should be your first step when choosing a research topic?

• Ask your friends or parents for ideas for your topic

• Choose the first topic that you think of

• Brainstorm ideas that are interesting to you and that are related to your assignment

• Do a Google search

2. What are subtopics?

• Smaller ideas that connect to the big ideas

• Big ideas that connect to the smaller ideas

• Some of the other topics you were considering

• Topics about submarines

3. What does each letter in a KWL chart stand for?

• Knowledge, When, Learn

• Know, When, List

• Knowledge, Wonder/Want to Know, List

• Know, Wonder/Want to Know, Learn

4. These are statements about open and closed questions. Which statement is NOT correct?

• Closed questions are basic and often begin with who, what, where, or when.

• Closed questions are more involved and require more research.

• Open questions are complex and often begin with why.

• Open questions have more than one answer and may lead to more questions.

5. Which of the following is an example of an open question?

• How large is a blue whale?

• What are the different types of whales?

• Why are whales important to ocean ecosystems?

• Do whales communicate?

6. An essential question should be an open question. True or false?

• True

• False

7. These are statements about essential questions. Which statement is NOT correct?

• An essential question is usually easy to answer.

• An essential question is an open ended question.

• The answers to an essential question should come from many sources.

• An essential question is the focus of your research.

8. Which of these is the BEST choice for an essential question for a research paper about life on planets?

• Which planets do we know have life on them?

• What factors affect a planet’s ability to sustain life?

• Why would being the closest or farthest planet from the sun affect the ability to sustain life?

• Why is there no life on the moon?